Lessons learnt in Transit livestock logistics set for agriculture operations
New technological fix for livestock transport has emerged, with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) saying it promises huge savings for livestock transport.
Called the TRAnsport Network Strategic Investment Tool (Transit), the CSIRO says it identifies ways to reduce travel distance and time, saving fuel costs, cutting down on wear and tear and minimising stress for both truck drivers and cattle.
“In developing this tool we completed the most comprehensive mapping of the cattle supply chain in Australia,” lead researcher Dr Andrew Higgins says.
For northern Australia, the Transit project takes in data on 12,000 properties, finishing farms, sale yards, feedlots, export yards, rest stops, abattoirs and ports; and 15,000 road segments that are ranked according to highway, major road or minor road, sealed or unsealed, among other factors.
The team says it also consulted with transport operators such as Schmidt Livestock Transport director and past president of the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association Liz Schmidt.
“The Transit team’s consultation with industry has been especially valuable for the ‘mum and dad’ trucking operations with limited resources,” Schmidt is quoted as saying.
Transit is already being applied to the cattle industry Australia-wide-mapping the path of about 60,000 origin-to-destination movements representing 20 million cattle transported in Australia per year.
“It gives us a truckie’s-eye view of a supply chain, factoring in thousands of small decisions in planning routes,” Higgins says.
“The beef industry has faced difficult times lately, but now there is a focus on northern Australia and all the northern states are planning for expansion.
“Our hope is that this tool can make every long journey as short as it can be, and help to expand sustainable industry.”
Higgins adds that Transit will now be applied to other agricultural transport, particularly degradable produce.